Orifice meter



April 18,1933.

E. 5. SMITH, JR

ORIFICE METER Filed July 27, 1929 MM L.

ATTORNEY v UNITED STATES Patented Apr. 18, 1933 PATENT 1 OFFICE ED 5. smn, 3a., or rnovznmrca, anon'n 13mm), Assmnoa 1'0 BUILDERS mon mummy, or rnovmnucn, nnonn IsLnm, a conroaarron or anonn ream OBII'IOE METER Applicationiled. July 27, 1989. Serial No. 881,475.

M invention relates to orificedifierential pro ucers and includes particularly improvements in the connections for orifice plates of this type to a differential responsive mecha- 5 ni'sm, whereby wide variations in flow may be more accurately metered. I

An object of my invention is to provide two types of connections for orifice plates differential producers of this description,

both upstream and downstream of said orifice, one a single point connection for chord orifices or other orifices which are unsymmetrical about one of two axes at right angles to each other in the plane of the orifice, to avoid the efiect of upstream irregularities, elbows,-

Ts, etc., and in addition an annular connection completely circular except for said point connection to obtain a true average pressure for circular orifices, thereby avoiding errors due to irregularities, such as rivet heads,

tubercu'lations, etc. and also to obtain maximum responsiveness on pulsating flows. In conjunction with suitable flanges for said connections upstream and downstream of said orifice I provide means to alternately connect either said single point connections or said annular connections or both simultaneously to a pressure difierential responsivemetering device.

A further object of my invention is to provide an internal steadying' cone in the upstream flange converging towards the orifice plate and preferably having the upstream 5 end thereof of. larger periphery than said conduit and the downstream end thereof of smaller periphery than saidupstream end whereby the errors due to irregularities in pipe diameter upstream are substantially 40 eliminated.

- My invention is particularly adapted for use with an orifice plate having an orifice unsymmetrical about one of two axes, one of i said axes passing through the single point pressure connection thereof, whereby extremely wide ranges of flow can be measured, the single point pressure connection for measuring small rates of fiow and the annular pressure connection being near the less oh- 5 structed parts of the orifice for measuring casings machined differently with the upstream flange adjacent said orifice plate being of smaller periphery than the conduit I and the downstream flange adjacent said plate having a larger periphery than said orifice and the upstream flange whereby an unsymmetrical orifice or a concentric orifice may be employed and the orifice plate thereof centered without interfering with the flow in the conduit and whereby normal errors in centering the orifice do not produce an appreciable efi'ectupon the differential produced thereby. Inasmuch as the inner eri hery of the downstream flange is preferably larger than the inner peripher of the upstream flange it is obvious that if an orifice of equal diameter of said upstream flange is employed the downstream flange will not interfere with the flow.

A further object of my invention is to provide in combination. with a pair of orlfice flanges adapted to contain an orifice plate between them, an orifice plate having a plurality of. arms projecting radially 'an equal distance therefrom and registering marks on said arms for centering purposes, said registering marks thus not interfering with the actual centering of the orifice plate itself and in concentrically machined flanges fitting the flanges even if the flanges should be of varying outside diameter.

Further objects of my invention-are to stream. orifice interchangeable-without breaking the pressure connections and to provide a device in which the installation thereof is not subject to gas or air troubles.

7 These and such other objects of my invention as may hereinafter appear will be best understood from a description of the accompanying drawing which illustrates an embodiment thereof.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conduit with my invention attached thereto.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of Fig. 1 taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1'.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view talren along the line 33 of Fig. 1.

In the drawing, wherein like characters or" reference indicate like parts throughout, 10 generally indicates the conduit. 12 generally indicates an orifice late pressure difierential producer of the ori ce type having an orifice of a smaller size than the conduit to produce a difierential in the pipe between the upstream and downstream sides thereof.

In my preferred embodiment said difierential producer comprises the orifice plate M having the suitable orifice 12 employed therein. While orifice plates 14: having different orifices 12 such as the concentric orifices and chord orifices may be interchangeably employed, in my device'l preferably employ a circular orifice 12 of the chord type having the chord or arcuate portion 16 thereof projecting inwardly of the orifice. By the word chord orifice I mean an orifice formed from the are of a circle and a chord or another line cutting of? a portion of the same circle. Advantages of thls type of orifice particularly for metering small rates of fiow are well lrnown and by changing the pressure connections thereof to a different part of the circumfcrence oi" the orifice, namely, from adjacent the chord 16 thereof when metering a small flow to adjacent a point of a lar er diameter than the chord in the orifice ior metering larger rates of fiow I provide a device which will meter satisfactorily over a wide range of flow. To suitably connect a difierential responsive device to my improved orifice 1 provide a novel, type of upstream and downfianges 18 and 18 as preferahly made from identical castings, but. with the upstream flange 18 having a smaller inner periphery 20 adjacent the orifice plate than the pipe 10 and the downstream flange 18* having a larger inner periphery. 22 than the inner i eriphery 20 of the upstream flange 18, whereby normal errors in centering the orifice do not produce an appreciable efilect upon the difierential produced thereby. The efiect of having the inner periphery 20 of the upstream fiange smaller than the pipe tends to reduce the efiect of irregularities in pipe diameter upstream and havin the inner periphery 22 of the downstream ange l8 larger aces-see than the inner periphery of the upstream flange prevents errors in centering the orifice from producing an appreciable efiect upon the difierential produced thereby, such as would be caused by having the inner periphery 22 thereof pro ecting radially within said orifice 12. In order that the orifice plate may I be accurately centered 1 preferably provide a plurality of arms 24 and 26 respectively proj ecting radially preferabl equal distances outwards from the orifice p ate and I provide registering marks such as the notches 28 cut in the side walls of said arms so that the orifice plate may be accurately centered between the flanges 18 and 18", said arms being thus tree to slide between said fianges 18 and 18 until said orifice plate is accurately cen-' tered. As shown particularly in Fig. 2 both the upstream and downstream flanges 18 and 18 are provided with a single oint pressure with the ducts 38 projecting laterally outwards therefrom to which the pipes 40 and all may be respectively connected. I provide suitable means such as the valves 42 in said pipes ar and. 3% respectively and the valves 4a in the pipes 4t) and 40 respectively to alternately connect either said single point connections 30 or said annular connections 36 or both of said upstream and downstream flanges simultaneously to a pressure difie'rential responsive metering device. When it is desired to connect the metering device directly to a single point connection 30 for meter ing small rates of fiow assuming that the chord orifice 12 shown in Fig. 2 is employed, the valves 42 are opened and the valves 44 are closed. When it is alternatively desired to connect the metering device to the annular connections 36, the valves all respectively are opened and the valves 42 are closed. As stated hitherto a chord orifice is preferably employed, whereby a single orifice may be employed by changing the connections to meter a relatively wide range, but if desired with metering small rates of fiow a still more obstructed orifice than that shown may be changed to a concentric orifice with the annular connection for metering relatively larger rates of flow. Suitable gaskets 46 are preferably employed between the orifice plate 12 and the flanges .18 and 18 respectively. In order to eliminate the errors cc to irits re critics in pipe diameter'n I prm vi 'e a steadymg internal cone 48 in said 18 converging towards said orifice p1ate14 having preferably of larger periphery than sald conduit 10 and the ownstream end 52-thereof adjacent said orifice plate of a smaller t saido ce,

riphery than said orifice to to function as a difierenti reducer.

It .is. understoodthat my invention is not limited to the specific embodiment shown and that various deviations may .be made" therefrom without departing from the spirit an scope of the appended claims.

' WhatIcIaimisr l. A metering device for a conduit, com

prising an orifice plate and a pair of orifice both said upstream and downstream flanges 'may be connected simultaneously 'to said pressure difierential responsive indicating device.

- as said i 2; AL metering device comprising orifice plate and a pair of hrificeflanges adapted to support send orifice platebetween them,

each. flange having adjacent to said "orifice plate a single point pr connection and a second independent annular connection completely circular except for. said point connection and in the same planeas said point connection, v 3. A me r: device for a'conduit, comprising an orifice plate and a air of orifice anges adapted to sugport sai orifice plate between them, each ange having adjacent to said orifice late, a single point. pr connection sue a second independent annular connection completely circular except for said inttlon and in the same lane int connection, a pressure tial in icating ine device, -means whereby the 1e point connections of said upstream and. w: n ii my: may be connected simultaneously said v difiereutial responsive indicating device and means wherebythe connections of said upstream and doream may be connected sinmltanemnsly to said p indicating metering device, a vconduit connectgd 120 s oilsaid orifice-flanges "1 stea ying intern cone eai mm: o. flange extending towards said orifice plate havm'g u end thereof of a larger the upstream and 50 thereof erenriphery than each of said conduits and the ownstream end of said cone of a smaller periphery than each of said conduits.

A4. A. metering device for a conduit, comprising an orifice plate and a pair of orifice anges adapted to support said orifice plate between them, each ange having adjacent to said orifice plate a single point pressure connection and a second independent annular connection completely circular except for said point connection, a pressure diflerential responsive indicating device, means whereby the single point connections of said upstream and downstream flanges may be connected simultaneously to said pressure difierential responsive indicating device and means whereby the annular connections of said upstream and downstream flanges may be connected simultaneously to said pressure responsive indicating device, a conduit connected to each of said orifice flanges and a steadying internalcone in said u stream flange converging towards said ori ce plate.

5. A metering device, comprising an orifice plate and a pair of orifice flanges adapted to support said orifice plate between them,

each flange having adjacent to said orifice plate a s' le point pressure connection and -a second independent annular connection completely circular except for said point connection and in the same plane as said point connection, said orifice plate having an 01'1- fice symmetrical-about only one axis, said' axis being parallel to said single point connections. v In testimony whereof I afiix fig s1 ature. 

